From the air, Penny wheeled and spiraled down in front of the group, feeling her wings stretch and warp into arms. The ambassador's retinue came to an abrupt stop, glancing between her and the ominous ridge ahead.
"Now listen well. That ridge ahead of us marks the start of the Witch's Cradle. The road runs south of the southern ridge. It should be at a safe distance, but there is a slight risk that one or two will be outside the nest. I was hoping to pass this earlier in the day, when they tend to be less active, but that was not a success." She took a deep breath to calm herself. She had never attempted to bring an entire party of ordinary people with her past the Witch's Cradle before; it was a daunting task. "So we will need to move quickly and quietly. The Witch's Cradle has a strong smell to it, which you have already noticed; this means they cannot smell us. However, they can hear us, so you have to remove any armor, bells, or bits of metal that might jingle."
Some of the guards shifted uncomfortably in their saddles. One shook his head. "How can we do our jobs without armor? Do we have to ride with our swords drawn?"
Penny froze for a split second. She hadn't considered the swords. If one of them was attacked and drew blood with a common sword... she didn't dare consider how much of Avalon could be destroyed.
"Any of you who draws a sword will be immediately disarmed. No blood from anything can be allowed to touch the ground. Anyone who causes blood to hit the ground near the Witch's Cradle will be treated as a hostile soldier. Is that clear?" Penny saw the eyes of the party widen. "The Witch's Cradle is not a joke, and it is not a legend. The Champion and the Champion's Hands are experienced with it, but you are not, so listen to me and do exactly what I say without hesitation. Is that clear?"
Eventually, the ambassador nodded, looking frightened. That was probably for the best, she decided; he was less likely to do something stupid.
"We'll wrap the horses' hooves to keep them from making too much noise, but if a horse bolts, it will be too loud. If that happens, your only option is to throw yourself from the horse and lay perfectly still. No matter what happens at that point, no one moves until you hear my voice telling you it is safe to do so. No matter what, is that clear?"
Finally they nodded and began to remove their armor and wrap the hooves of their horses. Penny breathed a sigh of relief; if they listened to her, they would probably make it.
After a short time, Penny inspected the horses, removing a few small metal pieces that would clink against each other. They had done a surprisingly thorough job, and she couldn't help but be impressed. Leaving out what's in the Cradle worked... surprisingly well. It was odd to think that they might have been less careful had she told them the name of the danger, used as she was to her Hands who already knew the risk before leaving on a journey.
"Good. Now remember, if your horse bolts, fall immediately and do. not. move." Penny unbound the blades from under her skirt and pulled them out, still amazed by their beauty and deadly edge. The Queen might scold me for bringing out blades in front of an ambassador... even though we're passing the Cradle. But with her two blades in her hands, she could forget the Queen for a moment. Every time she held the pair of crescent knives, shaped beautifully like falcon's wings, she remembered what it meant to be Champion of Avalon, and all thoughts of the Queen faded.
For a few minutes she scanned the ridge, watching for the movement of anything large through the trees. For a moment, a few trees near the top of the ridge swayed wildly, but the motion crossed the edge into the Cradle and disappeared. "It's clear. Move." She ran along with the horses' trot, matching her pace to theirs. It required a small amount of magic use, but it was better than passing the Cradle at a walking pace or risking the time to transform from a falcon.
The seconds ticked past as the ridge and its foul fumes inched away past them. Penny found herself silently cursing whatever lunatic had decided that sending the Marel ambassador by the Border Road was a clever plan. The leaves rustling to either side of the road caught her attention, but a brief examination showed that they were only rustling in the wind. Penny had never been so thankful that her namesake had keen eyesight; even now she could see ants moving on the bark of trees hundreds of strides away.
Suddenly, a branch snapped above them on the ridge. Penny gasped and checked for a split second, then gestured for everyone to keep going. She'd seen the top of a serpentine head and the edge of a horn through the trees. As they went on she pushed them to move just a bit faster; if she was lucky, it might return to its nest in the Cradle and leave the ambassador and his retinue alone.
A rustle from above drew her attention again, and Penny skidded to a halt. The ambassador's retinue also halted and stood in silence. Penny's eyes didn't move from the spot above them on the ridge where the trees shifted and swayed.
It was too close. The sound of a trot might be too much. They needed true silence if it was going to pass by.
A low, rattling growl sounded above them on the ridge, and then a soft serpentine hiss. One of the horses sidestepped, looking nervous, but they stayed quiet. The trees shifted, moving closer to the road, then, slowly, away again and up the ridge.
Penny didn't relax yet. She'd seen another motion on the ridge above. Another soft hiss sounded, then a growl. That growl was echoed from the one returning to the Cradle. One of the growls rose, sounding more antagonistic. A puff of green fume rose from the trees and Penny turned back toward the ambassador's retinue. Silently, she motioned for them to move on slowly.
With aching slowness they inched away from the forest as the sounds continued. Penny counted the steps as she listened.
A sudden shriek of rage rang out above them, accompanied by a squeal of pain. Penny's ears rang and she froze. Had the creatures above them drawn blood? Could she afford to check? Could she afford not to?
She didn't have time to consider further; three horses bolted at the shriek. The ambassador dropped from his horse in an instant and lay perfectly still; a guard and one of the attendants forgot to fall and clung to their saddles.
Penny gestured for everyone left to remain perfectly still and dashed after the horses. Her feet made tiny scuffing noises, but that was nothing compared to the sound of a bolting horse. She had to stop them before they drew the entire Cradle down onto the road.
Two eager shrieks sounded from the ridge above, and the sound of something large barreling through the trees accompanied the sight of thrashing branches. Penny poured magic into her limbs, hoping desperately to outrace it. If she could reach the horses in time–!
A sudden scream rang out in front of her; Penny darted forward around a curve in the road. The sound wasn't human; it had come from a horse. She might still be able to save the riders.
With a whirl she spun and sank her blade deep into the heart of a gigantic, reptilian creature. A dozen heads thrashed and flailed, but the beast was silent as it went into death throes. A trail of black blood followed her blade as she pulled it out, sinking deep into the shining silver metal and vanishing. The stream continued to flow out of the creature's body and directly into her blade until the last drop was gone. Penny breathed a sigh of relief and tapped her blade onto the fangs of each head, watching as the venom was swallowed by the glinting edge. There was a reason she had brought the famous poison-drinking blades to the Cradle.
One of the riders groaned softly and Penny turned to look at him; she shuddered at the sight and immediately sank her blade into the dead horse. The rider was being devoured by venom; it must have mixed with the horse's blood and landed on him during the attack. The other rider didn't seem to have fared much better, and one of the horses was struggling. Miraculously, the last of the horses seemed to have escaped the spray of toxins.
One by one Penny drained the dead and dying of poison, whispering softly to calm the living horse. "Nawhea isonn daheae rhein shaonde." The horse settled, standing perfectly still, only a slight shiver betraying its fear. Penny nodded. That's it, good. She sank one blade into the ground, devouring any escaped poison; then she stood and reached for the horse's bridle. It snorted.
Oh. Penny mouthed a string of silent vulgarities as she stood in perfect stillness. There was still a second beast. She stood frozen, as did the horse, but unlike it, she was waiting for a chance.
One. The silence stretched on as the bulk watched silently.
Two. A long, serpentine head snaked out from the undergrowth and a prehensile tongue flicked the body of one of the dead horses. At the sound of a massive step, the living horse shivered but stood still, eyes wide, nostrils flared. The head's jaw unhinged and it began to swallow the body.
Three. Penny poured magic into her limbs and shot forward, blade outstretched. One of the heads shot out with venomed teeth bared; Penny felt its teeth sink into her arm and lashed out with the blade in her other hand. The head came off cleanly, its blood streaming into her blade and vanishing, but on the wriggling stump two small buds had appeared, and the flow of blood halted. I hate, hate, hate these things.
In an instant she whirled and plunged her blade into the beast's heart; it shuddered and thrashed. Snakelike heads and necks slammed into Penny as the creature went into death throes. The stream of blood flowing to her blade broke and a spatter broke free, sailing through the air.
Penny leaped, blade outstretched, swinging for the escaping poison. They were well outside the protective containment of the Cradle. If that toxin reached the water supply, Avalon could be destroyed, along with Ishin, Kaster, and maybe even Destane across the mountains.
In the space of a heartbeat, the outstretched tip of her blade made contact with the blood and swallowed it; Penny landed on the road, breathing hard. That was the closest she had ever come to disaster at the Cradle. That blood had been more than enough to kill Avalon. She would have to suggest destroying the Cradle again, even if the Queen would refuse.
After draining the venom from the monster's heads and the half-swallowed horse, Penny closed the eyes of the two riders and poured phoenix oil around the bodies. Dead animals were a powerful lure this close to the Cradle, and she didn't intend to call more of the monsters. Two had been bad enough.
For a moment she paused to whisper the Plea for the Dead. Then, taking hold of the horse's bridle, she led it back to the ambassador and his retinue. Dead or no dead, the living had to move. The Cradle did not wait for grief.